Hi All,
I am trying to get my Metadata embedded on my mp3's. So I entered the data with all my pertinent stuff in song info thru iTunes. It looks right so I hit ok -then when I send it to myself it doesn't show up when I open the mp3. What might I be missing??

ochaim wrote:I wonder if iTunes is just updating its own database to populate the fields in iTunes only.

One way to ensure the metadata sticks is to drag the track from iTunes onto your desktop thereby forcing iTunes to create a new file with the metadata embedded.

Let us know how that works.

Thanks for the heads-up, Owen - I'd not been privy, nor paying proper attention, to this detail before uploading mp3s to my TAXI homepage - which is what I assume y'all are 'talking' about - well - writing, actually.

Thank you too - Susan - for asking the question.
Now - I'm thinking I can, and need to, go fix & replace any & all of the tracks I've posted there.
OY!!

AND - for a slow, Old-Guy: what is the list of the essentials/info to be included there?

I have no idea if the mp3's that are fowarded retain the metadata or not, Peter. But the least you can do is put your contact info in the comment section just as a matter of habit. You can put in some genre/subgenre info, mood keywords or a la's there too if you want to.

Thanks Owen,
It did save the data doing it that way, but only shows in iTunes. When I click on the song, there is a flowing stream of data that I input that is seen above the track as it's playing. So when I open the song in my email it doesn't do that and it does not show when opening any other way, such as with my default QuickTime Player.
Any thoughts? How do you do it?
By the way, congrats on your forward I saw today!

I wouldnt worry about Quicktime not showing the metadata. I believe iTunes is the one most industry folk use. I think every Road Rally panel with editors or music supervisors showing how they use music have used iTunes during their presentation. That is more typical than Quicktime. I thought Quicktime was being updated anymore? Because of that, I've heard there are some potential security issues with it.

From my understanding, where MP3 metadata is important is when you develop a relationship with a music supervisor and they keep your MP3's in their catalogue. Otherwise libraries will have their own process for metadata, which can be a iTunes for AIFF files, spreadsheet or part of a website submission.

It's still in beta, but if you use it, you'll be helping me out. The main thing it has to recommend it is that it follows the specs in http://www.id3.org. Comments are labeled, allowing multiple comments, as per the specs. iTunes doesn't use labels, which limits it to the one comment or picture with no label.

Another feature of my editor is that it examines the mp3 file and will automatically insert the length frame. It works on variable bit rate files too.

Another really cool feature I use all the time is replacing the audio. I have files with tons of metadata but then I go back and tweak the audio file. Instead of entering all the metadata again, I upload the original file and tell the editor to replace the audio. Much easier to replace one thing than all the metadata frames.

I could go on and on. You can have multiple pictures. You can have english lyrics and any language you like. You can copy metadata from an existing file, so if you know most of the metadata already exists in another mp3, you can just copy it!

The best feature? I wrote it and maintain it, so if you need a feature added, just ask me!

For mp3s, you can enter metadata directly through Windows (if on a PC). There's surely an equivalent on a Mac.
In Windows, right click on the song file name and select "Properties", then the tab "Details". Then you can enter all the info.

iTunes is tricky. To get tags to stick, you usually have to export a version of the file. For mp3, you would first set your import settings to mp3 at the bit rate you want. Then there is an option to export to that format. On the latest iTunes, I think it's File->Convert->Create Mp3 Version. It will create it in your iTunes Media Folder Location, which by default in Windows is something like: C:\Users\YourName\Music\iTunes\iTunes Music.

Try doing it directly through Windows (or Mac OS) before trying to decipher all the ridiculous complexities of iTunes.